The gorgeous Yayoi Aida

At six that evening, the day of the friendly match, a large group of tall people sat in a small private dining room.

They were some of the basketball players from Shohoku High School and Ryonan High School, gathered for a meal at Uozumi's family's Japanese restaurant.

The door slid open, and Uozumi walked in wearing a chef's uniform, carrying a large platter piled with a small mountain of sushi.

He set the sushi on the table and smiled shyly. "Everyone, give my cooking a try. I do have a little confidence in my cooking skills."

Uozumi's family had been in the restaurant business since he was little, and his cooking skills were actually considerably better than his basketball skills.

Ryota Kudo picked up a piece of sweet shrimp nigiri and put it in his mouth. Its fresh, sweet flavor made his eyes involuntarily narrow.

Giving Uozumi a thumbs-up, Ryota Kudo praised him. "This tastes fantastic. I'll definitely come here often from now on, Uozumi."

Also present were Shohoku's Hanamichi Sakuragi, Takenori Akagi, and Kiminobu Kogure, along with Ryonan's Akira Sendoh and their manager, Hikoichi Aida.

They had agreed before coming that the Ryonan Team members would pick up the bill tonight.

Takenori Akagi and Kiminobu Kogure were both a little reserved, nodding politely in thanks. "Thank you for treating us tonight. We'll enjoy the food."

Unlike the customary Japanese show of politeness, Hanamichi Sakuragi was completely relaxed. With a piece of sushi in each hand, he tossed both into his mouth.

The sushi pieces were small, and Sakuragi wasn't satisfied until he had tossed six into his mouth in a row and begun chewing contentedly.

Unable to watch any longer, Takenori Akagi promptly punched Sakuragi and loudly warned him, "Slow down, you idiot! These are expensive!"

Uozumi, however, looked entirely unconcerned as he reassured Takenori Akagi. "It's fine, Captain Akagi. These don't cost much. Eat as much as you like. The more you eat, the happier I'll be."

Hearing Uozumi's words, everyone began eating happily.

Akira Sendoh sat beside Ryota Kudo, grumbling with a sunny smile. "Why did you come to Kanagawa Prefecture too, Ryota? Now I've got another rival. Kainan and Shoyo were already hard enough to deal with."

Ryota Kudo picked up his glass of soft drink and clinked it against Akira Sendoh's. "What's the big deal? Sendoh-chan, surely your dream isn't as simple as just making it to nationals.

"Even if I hadn't come to Kanagawa Prefecture, we'd still face each other at nationals.

"Besides, we can both work hard and knock out all the other opponents. Let's take the top two spots in Kanagawa Prefecture and qualify together!"

"Exactly! Let's give it our all!" Akira Sendoh's face was also filled with a refusal to lose.

Last year, while still a first-year, Akira Sendoh had already led Ryonan High School into the top four. Having improved in every aspect this year, he had all the courage he needed to challenge Kainan and Shoyo.

Ryonan's manager, Hikoichi Aida, suddenly received a phone call while eating. Looking at the number on his phone, he seemed frightened. Presumably, the person on the other end was quite formidable.

After speaking on the phone for a while, Hikoichi Aida looked at everyone awkwardly and asked, "My sister's nearby, and she wants to come eat with us... would that be okay?"

"Of course! Hikoichi, hurry and tell your sister to come over." Naturally, no one objected, and everyone unanimously agreed to Hikoichi Aida's request.

Ryota Kudo still had a strong impression of Hikoichi Aida's sister: a very cool, beautiful reporter.

Thinking that he would soon meet this gorgeous woman, Ryota Kudo actually felt a little anticipation.

Ten minutes later, a striking woman with neat short hair, fiery red lips, and captivating large eyes walked into the private room.

As soon as she entered, the woman introduced herself with easy confidence. "Sorry to interrupt, everyone. I'm Hikoichi Aida's older sister, Yayoi Aida. You don't mind me joining you now, do you?"

The reason Yayoi Aida had appeared here was that she had heard the Ryonan Team had actually been defeated quite easily by Shohoku today.

Only after asking her younger brother, Hikoichi Aida, had she learned that three super rookies had joined Shohoku High School this year.

And two of Shohoku's super rookies were currently having dinner nearby with her brother.

With her love of basketball, Yayoi Aida naturally wouldn't pass up this opportunity for an interview.

Yayoi Aida immediately noticed the blond boy sitting beside her brother. He had to be Ryota Kudo, the strongest one her brother had mentioned.

She gave her brother, Hikoichi Aida, a look, and he quickly vacated his seat so that his sister could sit beside Ryota Kudo.

After sitting down beside Ryota Kudo, Yayoi Aida immediately took out a notebook and began the interview.

Everyone else in the room knew Yayoi Aida's personality, so none of them found it unusual.

Akira Sendoh, in particular, was also a basketball prodigy and had been interviewed plenty of times by Yayoi Aida when he first joined the Ryonan Team last year. He gave Ryota Kudo a look that said he was on his own.

Of course, Akira Sendoh had no way of knowing that Ryota Kudo's mental age was already close to thirty. He had no interest in those immature schoolgirls; instead, he found older women like Yayoi Aida more attractive.

So Ryota Kudo didn't mind Yayoi Aida sitting beside him at all.

"Kudo, I heard you were the junior high MVP in the Tokyo area. Why did you want to attend a high school in Kanagawa Prefecture?"

"Because Shohoku High School is closer to my home, so I can sleep a little longer every morning."

Ryota Kudo stuck with the same explanation. After all, he couldn't say he had joined because he liked the members of the Shohoku Basketball Team.

Yayoi Aida carefully recorded Ryota Kudo's answer in her notebook, then continued asking questions.

"Then what's your dream, Kudo? Are you confident you can help Shohoku High School make it out of Kanagawa Prefecture?"

When asked this question, Ryota Kudo didn't hide his ambition. He answered with great confidence.

"Of course. Not only will I help Shohoku High School make it out of Kanagawa Prefecture, we're also going to conquer the nation!"

At the words "conquer the nation," everyone in the room had a look of longing in their eyes.

They were all teenage boys who loved basketball.

For them, conquering the nation was their greatest dream right now.

Yayoi Aida nodded and wrote it down. She was very fond of these young basketball players with dreams.

She asked many more questions, and Ryota Kudo obligingly answered them all, officially bringing Yayoi Aida's interview that day to an end.

Closing her notebook, Yayoi Aida stretched comfortably, shifting from her serious work mode into a somewhat languid, off-duty state.

"Thank you, Kudo. I got a lot out of today's interview. Now I can write a few good articles when I get back."

Then Yayoi Aida took a can of beer from a bag beside her and drank a large mouthful.

That left Ryota Kudo craving it badly. He hadn't had beer in over a decade.

Convenience stores in Japan simply didn't sell alcohol to minors, and besides, he couldn't drink often if he wanted to maintain his athletic condition.

But indulging once in a while should be fine, right? Just one can...

Ryota Kudo reached toward the bag full of beer, and his hand successfully found an ice-cold can.

Just as he took the beer out, a fair, soft hand caught his wrist.

"You're too young to be drinking! All this beer is for your big sister!" Yayoi Aida shot Ryota Kudo an amused glare.